Gov. John deJongh Jr. appointed retired St. Thomas-St. John Police Chief Rodney F. Querrard as assistant police commissioner Tuesday morning, and named him acting police commissioner effective immediately.
“I am extremely pleased at Rodney’s decision to return from retirement to government service and I look forward to his working with me as we transform the leadership of the Virgin Islands Police Department to meet our daily challenges in law enforcement,” deJongh said.
Querrard replaces the former commissioner, Henry White Jr., who tendered his resignation Jan. 15 after just more than one year of service and less than one year after his official confirmation to the post.
Querrard was police chief of the St. Thomas-St. John District from 2007 until he retired in April 2012. He joined the V.I. Police Department in May 1987. During his time with the force he served almost nine years as a member of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and held supervisory positions as the Muriel C. Newton and Leander Jurgen commands on St. Thomas and St. John. During his assignment in HIDTA, Querrard earned the rank of police lieutenant.
Announcing White’s resignation last week, deJongh said the surprise departure, along with the continued vacancy of the post of assistant commissioner, meant he would have “an opportunity to transform the top leadership in the Virgin Islands Police Department so that we can better meet our critical challenges in law enforcement.”
